PJ Swift

Breaking Waves

S. wades out into that large placid lake where he sometimes tosses skipping stones. As he swims from shore, he realizes that perhaps this lake is a sea, or even an ocean, because it is so endless. A tiny swell moves past him, the smallest of possible waves. On this wave rides a tiny surfboard full of miniature people. Swift gazes at them in awe. These tiny people are in the midst of a joyous celebration. Once their surfboard crashes into the shore, it will all be over for them and their miniature world. But for now, they are raucous and ecstatic, so happy that they are alive. Their surfboard moves on, closer and closer to the breaking shore. And Swift contemplates, adrift in this large boundless sea.

Heavens Above

The inhabitants of the planet enjoyed the most spectacular and glorious nighttime sky. Millions of heavenly stars sparkled in the heavens, creating a wondrous medley. But thousands of years of industrial activity served to clog the sky until eventually even the planet's daytime sun was barely was barely visible.

Following several centuries, the inhabitants' scientists were able to devote their attention to the matter, and over the process of many more decades, the inhabitants were able to scrub their sky of the pollutants.

But when their project was complete, the nighttime heavens remained barren. As it turned out, the pollution that they had created had not only wiped out the stars from their heavenly view, it had destroyed the entire universe.

Change

Everything changed so quickly. Everything moved so quickly.  Everyone lived so quickly. -- that suddenly, nothing was recognizable. To anyone.  But in their haste and vigor and rapid motion, no one noticed any of this.  To them everything looked and felt the same.  In a world of constant rapid whirlwind change -- the only thing moving faster — was their humanity.